Sweden’s Emigration Outpaces Immigration Amid Tightened Policies.
In a notable shift, Sweden is set to see more people leave the country than immigrate this year, a trend attributed to the government’s restrictive migration policies. According to recent data, the number of immigrants in Sweden is at its lowest in years.
Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard reported that, between January and May 2024, Statistics Sweden recorded 5,700 more emigrations than immigrations. She indicated that this trend is expected to persist and highlighted that asylum applications have reached their lowest level since 1997.
This significant decrease in asylum applications is reminiscent of the 2016 drop, when applications fell from 162,877 in 2015 to 28,939. The decline followed a major policy shift by the ruling Social Democrats, who in late 2015 moved from liberal immigration practices to stricter controls. These policies curtailed the acceptance of asylum seekers from crisis-affected regions such as the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Somalia.
Since October 2022, Sweden has been governed by a coalition led by conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, with support from the far-right Sweden Democrats. Bernd Parusel, a migration expert from the German Federal Agency for Civic Education, noted that Sweden has introduced several measures to address challenges in registering, accommodating, and supporting asylum seekers. These measures include stricter access controls, rigorous asylum application processes, and efforts to encourage voluntary returns and consistent deportations.
Recent reports indicate that a growing number of people from Iraq, Somalia, and Syria are leaving Sweden. While the exact number of these voluntary returnees in the latest migration statistics is unclear, Stenergard believes that the restrictive policies implemented over the past eight years are responsible for the current figures. “The government’s efforts are bearing fruit,” she stated.
However, the motives behind these departures remain uncertain. Parusel has criticized the approach of making life difficult for asylum seekers to encourage voluntary departure, arguing that such measures could lead to increased social hardship. He also emphasized that simply reducing the number of immigrants does not guarantee better integration, as Sweden’s strategy of making the country less attractive to newcomers while promoting integration has proven ineffective.
Despite these restrictions, Sweden continues to grapple with organized crime, an issue that has persisted despite the tougher immigration policies. Prime Minister Kristersson has blamed previous governments’ immigration policies for the rise in crime, which includes drug trafficking, fraud, shootings, and bombings, particularly in poorer neighborhoods with higher migrant populations. Experts attribute this criminal activity to high unemployment, lack of opportunities, and poverty.